What’s the best way to evaluate the job Miami Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland has done?

Who should Davone Bess be compared to, and what role will Jared Odrick, last year’s first round pick, play on the defensive line in 2011?

Those are all the issued we tackled on twitter Friday morning, and topics we’ll breakdown on what’s chirping now.

RT @CaneFin: Am I the only guy that thinks Jeff Ireland is a bad%*s GM?» [MY RESPONSE] Probably. He’s got mixed reviews. This season will be telling.

Ireland has hard some home run finds (Bess, Pro Bowl kicker Dan Carpenter, Pro Bowl pass rusher Cameron Wake), but he’s also had up and down drafts, and his free agent signings have been mediocre. [Expended answer] The Dolphins overpaid for plenty of players, and many of the free agents signed during the Trifecta’s tenure were busts (Gibril Wilson & Ernest Wilford were the biggest).

At this point it’s impossible to tell who did what, who advocated for which draft pick, and who discovered whom during the Trifecta’s run in the Dolphins’ front office because Bill Parcells had such a heavy hand. At this point you can only judge him based on the 2011 draft, and I think it was is best.

The moves Ireland makes this offseason with free agents (1. the quarterback he selects to compete with Henne; 2. the tailback he signs; 3. the moves made to improve the offensive line) will be telling. It will likely determine if Ireland has a future in the NFL as a General Manager past 2011.

RT @chris_shashaty: Davone Bess reminds me of OJ McDuffie. Agree?» [MY RESPONSE] I’d have to do some studies on that. Don’t know anyone in the NFL, past or present, to compare Bess to right now. I’m open for suggestions.

RT @FreeJ625: Think Bess could be more like Wes Welker?» Welker is a bit more sudden, which makes him better after the catch than Bess. [Expanded answer] But Bess has drastically improved at producing runs after the catch yards. However, that’s not his strength. His strength is reading coverages and finding open holes in zones. When the Dolphins provide him a smart quarterback who can read the field he’ll get into a groove with him (think Chad Pennington) and become a nightmare for defenses.

Only reason I don’t like the McDuffie comparison is because I’m not sure Bess would as dynamic outside the slot, serving as a full-time flanker, simply running routes as they are designed.

RT @cris5272: After lockout ends do you think Miami’s first priority is to sign a running back or get help elsewhere» [MY RESPONSE] I’m guessing it’ll be quarterback, then running back, and maybe finding an upgrade at offensive guard.

[Expanded answer] I’ve predicted that the Dolphins’ starting offensive line will look like this: Jake Long, Nate Garner at left guard (or new guy), Mike Pouncey at center, Richie Incognito at right guard, and Vernon Carey at right tackle.

I have no inside information on this, and I totally expect practice performance to determine where everyone lines up. But the missing ingredient is finding a pulling left guard, and Garner did a decent job as the starting guard for half of 2009.

In fact, Garner graded out better than every lineman not named Long in some of those games. If he handles the left side and Incognito becomes the drive blocker on the right side the line should improve. Of course that leaves John Jerry on the sidelines, but he’ll have an opportunity to EARN playing time, and to do so he’s got to get better at run blocking.

RT @padre35: Where does Jared Odrick fit into the mix in 2011? Is he a nickel rush DE?» Probably in Tony McDaniel’s old role. Inside in the four- man down front. [EXPANDED ANSWER] I fully expect McDaniel to depart as a free agent. He’s looking for an opportunity to become a starter in the NFL and with Kendall Langford and Randy Starks here that’s an uphill battle.

Odrick’s healthy, and so is Phillip Merling, so that’s the four-man defensive end rotation right there. McDaniel would be a luxury at this point, and teams like Houston, Denver, the 49ers and Carolina should be jockeying for his services when the lockout ends. He’s one of the few unrestricted free agents with 3-4 experience, who also has the versatility to become a 4-3 defensive tackle.

Speaking of McDaniel, I’ll have him on as a guest on the WQAM (560AM) show I’m hosting with NBC’s Adam Kuperstein this Saturday from 11a.m.-1 p.m.

RT @Seminolefinatic: Will the Dolphins defense be top five next year?» I don’t see why not if Paul Soliai comes to camp fit and motivated, and injuries don’t become a factor.

[EXPANDED ANSWER] The Dolphins are deep on the defensive line, and at cornerback. The inside linebacker play should be solid with Karlos Dansby, Channing Crowder, A.J. Edds and Tim Dobbins, and the outside linebackers are decent, and will become good if Koa Misi takes that next step.

The only concern I have about the Dolphins defense, which will be entering their second season in Mike Nolan’s schemes, is the free safety play. But I like the trio of talented youngsters – Chris Clemons, Reshad Jones and Jonathon Amaya – back there. One will rise to the top, and my money is on Amaya if he’s given an equal shot because the guy makes plays.

Comments (926 Comments)

I’m glad he disputes the notion that the coaches pounded in to him the fear that he shouldn’t make a mistake. I think Henning is portrayed far too often as the villain, when it’s just a matter of Henne either not seeing the whole filed, or choosing not to make the deep throw on his own. Where did you take this excerpt from?

I agree with a lot of the talk regarding Crowder. My only caveat to the “upgrade!” argument is that I do think he’s fine on 1st down, and 2nd down against teams that are run-heavy. We REALLY need AJ Edds to step up as the nickel LB, though, as Crowder is HORRIBLE covering TE’s.

Love his leadership skills, and he appears to be an asset to the roster in that regard, but we need better play from that area of the field on 3rd and long.

HennePuke will checkdown from the checkdown, Can we find a worse QB? SHEESH!”

HennePuke? Seriously? Dude…I’m not a big fan of Chad’s, but that’s so immature that it reflects on YOU, not him. If you can’t do something more interesting, pithy, maybe some kind of pun…then don’t try. “HennePuke” is just…dumb sounding. Do us, and yourself, a favor. If you’re not funny, don’t try to be.

I’m glad he disputes the notion that the coaches pounded in to him the fear that he shouldn’t make a mistake. I think Henning is portrayed far too often as the villain, when it’s just a matter of Henne either not seeing the whole filed, or choosing not to make the deep throw on his own. Where did you take this excerpt from?
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Mikey-
I’m not glad at all. It is either admirable, or scary and pathetic. The ONE thing I agree with is it will be clear by 2 games into the season as to it was Henne or Henning last year though!
It was actually from the MH… 2 part article on Heat/ Henne and Co.

Funny stuff: (Oh please sage Walker, do not hound upon me from the gates of Hooka smokage for wuss-o’clock postage)

SERIOUSLY? 2 dudes debut in their “pro” boxing debut. One is a pro football player, 6′5″, and 258 lbs. The other is 5′10″ tall, and 222 lbs. REALLY? Baltimore Ravens player Ray Edwards fights this little dude in his debut and can’t even knock him out??? EMBARRASSING! Now, don’t know about many mobsters, but love MMA, and love boxing (Fave of all time = Sugar Ray Leonard). You HAVE to knock a little dude like that out as a heavyweight. Period! Give it up Ray!

crowder is too slow he only makes tackles in the middle when teams run right at him. he cant cover anyone out of the backfield or te. he cant make impact plays or game changing plays, unless cam wake gives him a freebie between the numbers. yes he clogs uo the middle with his big mouth. but crowder is the weakest link in the fins d starters

TEST founder Brian Martin told the newspaper that he expects Jets linebacker Bart Scott and offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse, and Dolphins players Channing Crowder, Randy Starks, Benny Sapp and Daniel Thomas to participate in the workouts
dolphin players working out with green and white slugs? say it aint so. i now want crowder, starks, sapp, and thomas to be traded for a half bag of stale chips and a chucky cheese coupon

Fatass Jack,
I just saw your post last night as I was laying on my roof waiting for the rapture, and I always have room for a fellow member of the mob, especially if they’re PB or CC. Hell, even Bat and Ken but Bat will have to lay by the fire. Of course I won’t be able to feed you so we may have to change your name to Bigboned Jack

This shouldn’t shock you or make you upset. This shows who is in control in the NFL. It is the same group that has been pushing the lawsuits, helped recommend and select DeMaurice and the attorney’s that are fighting the cases. It is the same group that gets on TV, radio and in the print media making the players out to be victims and management to be villains. It is the agents.

The agents setup, fund and own these player workout agencies. They send the players to their places before the draft, during the offseason and during the lockout. It is funny but agents income is capped at 4% of a players salary. However, if they provide additional services – taxes, financial planning, workouts, commercials – they can charge the going rates. So, now agents have these mega-groups that are a “full service” for their clients.

Then, you see a douchba- I mean agent, on TV saying they tell their players not to attend these “team” or “group” workouts because if they get hurt they could lose their contracts. Aw, how noble of the agent. So then the agent sends their players to their “place.” Let me ask – since the media never does – what happens if the player gets injured at the agents “location?” Ah, the same thing.

Also, does anyone care to guess why getting the CBA done at the bargaining table will be so difficult? The owners want a hard cap for rookie contracts – the players hate that rookies make more than most veterans ever will —- this seems like a no-brainer. But the agents HATE the idea of cap restrictions on salaries – especially on contracts that are growing faster than any other sector in the game. So the agents – who are involved in negotiations – will fight every hard cap.

Yet, the lockout rages on – the crazy economics of the game rages on and you hear people say that management is at fault, or the players are wrong, or the lawyers are mucking things up — why doesn’t anyone ever point the finger at the agents?

I appreciate that. It sounds like that diet I keep threatening will be happening. But, I think that the likes of Ken and Bat should definitely be kept outside as you don’t want them becoming dissatisfied with any of your prized possessions…

The boxer from the Ravens is Zbikowski
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Yes, apparently he is the GOOD boxer on the Ravens, lol. But Ray Edwards of the Ravens made his pro debut last night, and is who I was talking about.

Police have arrested someone who appears to be one of the two men accused of beating that Giants fan in Los Angeles. Hopefully they can nail these guys to the wall and bring some closure to this tragic story.

CavalierKong,
Amen Brother, watching that father with two youngs kids like myself breaks my heart. I can’t fathom what those two are going through. He’ll never be the same regardless and those two more than anyone else have been stolen from. I would go into how I’m all for the death penalty at times but I’ll stop

I feel the same way, bro. That poor family will be forever changed by these events. The senselessness of this whole thing really eats me up inside. I’m just glad that it is starting to look like someone will be brought to justice over it.

Where’s the Marlin fans at? Congratulations kicking our butts the last two days, hopefully we get one back. We don’t match up at all with you guys, you’ve kicked our butts last couple years. For anybody wondering, that’s called humility

Those tornadoes that hit Alabama were horrible. Killed almost 300. It was almost as bad as losing the Auburn game.
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Yes Nick my kids live there and their town got hit hard with many dead but I am happy to report that my kids are fine. I was crapping in my pants cause all communication was down for the first four days but I finally heard from them the Sunday after.
ROLL TIDE!!!

As I stated, Someone posted that comment pretending to be me, its a case of IDENTITY THEFT….I didnt write that post….I did however travel through the area a couple weeks ago and it is a terrible situation for the people living there. I live west of Atlanta about midway between there and the Alabama state line, Those storms traveled just to the north of me and then to the south of me. We were very fortunate to escape them and I would never make light of the situation those people have been through.

If that is really you nick saban, im a fan, wish you wouldve stayed our coach, yur a champion….thanx for still being a dolfin fan, i know you cared more than it looked most fans dont know or understand, tide rolls again, our fins wouldve possibly won it all by now if we still had ya. i feel that confident in yur abilities ie knowledge an work ethic, those haters dont see the powerhouse you are, especially alot of my fin fans, if we eved get ya back as coach later on one day, i as a fan would be ecstatic and much more confident weed get our rings an trophy, again big guy i know yur a real finfan at heart, roll tide and keep up the good work. peace…

OMAR KELLY was unsuccessful at achieving his childhood dream to become a super hero, so he figured he'd do the next best thing and become a journalist who fights against injustice, and searches for truth. After being bored to death reporting news and covering politics, he switched to sports.
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IZZY GOULD joined the Sun Sentinel in Feb. 2012 as a Senior Sports Reporter on the Miami Dolphins beat. He came to South Florida fresh off covering the University of Alabama football program, including its 2011 national championship team. More